The Life of Minerva McGonagall
by Tabby's Kittens
Summary: A little look at the life of our favourite Deputy Headmistress


The Life of Minerva McGonagall

A/N: This fic was quite hard for me to write, as it was based heavily on personal experience. Please - no sympathy and no flames. Thankyou - Tabby's Kittens.

Chapter 1 - Early Years

Minerva slowly walked into her mother's waiting arms. "Good girl Min!" called her father, as the two year old Minerva McGonagall beamed happily at her parents. Just then, a house elf called Peaky appeared with a _crack_ next to her father, Jupiter, and said in a high, squeaky voice, "Master McGonagall, sir. It is of most importance that you greets Ms Juno at once sir." Jupiter's wife, Metis looked at him, searching him with those beautiful grey eyes, before scooping Minerva up and taking her into her nursery to play. She left her there and sat down at the old rocking chair by the window, wondering how many more women there'd be before Jupiter realised his wife was wasting away. 'Maybe I'm the reason he has so many women round here' she mused to herself, tuning out the sound of Minerva gurgling away whilst playing with a toy broomstick. Metis was curious as to what Juno looked like, so she did something she'd never done before - she decided to spy on her husband of 30 years.

Jupiter had sighed upon leaving the room, but quickly regained his elated mood, for he saw Juno stood in the hallway, admiring the ornate ceiling. Jupiter looked upwards at the cloudy sky. The ceiling was bewitched to look like the sky outside. Fond memories came back to Jupiter then, how Metis had loved Hogwarts, especially the ceiling, so he had performed a tricky little charm on their ceiling, just to please his wife. On the other parts of the ceiling were moving, accurate star charts centred around Jupiter. The walls and ceiling posts were decorated in gold gilt paint. and had intricate Juniper and Lavender flowers . Metis had chosen the lavender because it symbolises luck; Jupiter had chosen Juniper because it sounded like his name. Actually, juniper flowers symbolise protection.

The floor was an intricate mosaic, depicting the McGonagall lawns in the four seasons, and the lake, where a herd of bridled Kelpies lived, along with docile Merpeople and various other sea - creatures. On top of this was a small, circular tartan rug, in the McGonagall colours of red, brown and black. The doors were made of finely polished oak and carved with the McGonagall crest upon each door. The crest was of an upright sword with a lion curled around it, with a phoenix circling above. All this was depicted with a red a gold background, but obviously not on the door.

Juno looked stunning too. She was a woman of about 30, so could pull off most looks. Her face was fresh, as though she had walked, and her cheeks took on a rosy hue once they saw Jupiter. She was wearing a heavy travelling cloak made of sheep's wool, dyed into the richest, deepest blue. Underneath, she wore a peach coloured robe, which was shoulder less, backless and strapless. It hugged her stomach, and bust, but flared out from her midriff. She wore cream shoes with a slight heel of about two inches. The dress was decorated with small rhinestones around the top line and the bottom, and Juno wore her auburn hair up, in a ponytail. Her hair wasn't that long, and so fell to her shoulder. As she looked at Jupiter, a loose curl escaped from her ponytail and hung down the side of her face. She was smiling, showing pearly teeth. As Juno took her hands out from the cloak, Metis saw that she had perfect nails as well. Jupiter took Juno's hand and kissed it, smiling and looking up at her.

From her hiding place, Metis couldn't hear their voices, but saw Jupiter hold out his arm to her, she gracefully accept before sweeping off towards the grand staircase. The stairs were decorated in the same fashion as the hall, but the floor was made of marble, not mosaic. Once they had reached the first landing, they proceeded up towards their right. Metis, crept out and followed them,. Not sure she wanted to see this.

Juno and Jupiter walked slowly up towards the second guest bedroom. Not the master - Metis would smell Juno's perfume. Not Minerva's or Porus' as he didn't know where they were. The first guest bedroom wouldn't do - that was for his kinkier customers. Instead he led her towards the empty second guest bedroom. Nothing was in there except for a white bed. As Juno entered, she sighed in obvious dismay. Turning towards the window, she began to take off her cloak. As she slipped of her shoes, she heard a soft sigh behind her. Smiling inwardly, she teased the robe off, oh so slowly. In the end, Jupiter came up and ripped it off her, before spinning her around and pushing her onto the bed. Juno squealed in delight.

Metis stopped to listen outside the door of the second guest bedroom. Sounds of moaning and new bed springs could be heard, along with a female voice screaming Jupiter's name. Not wanting to hear any more, Metis hurried away, mentally slapping herself.

Minerva's dad came downstairs along with some woman. Being only six, Minerva didn't really understand what was going on, but, being the brightest witch of her age, she had a feeling. The woman was dressed in red, and had black hair. Minerva frowned, before turning and going back into the dining room to eat dinner. Her father's place was empty, but her mother sat on his right, pushing the food around oh her plate. Porus, her twelve year old brother was sat at the far end of the table, and Minerva was sat opposite her mother. Porus was wolfing his food down as usual, his brown hair falling over his eye. He was quite handsome, he certainly took after his father, always having a string of admirers. But his heart wasn't ready to settle down yet. He was young and free, and wanted to be an auror when he was older. All of her ancestors had become influential figures in society, and Jupiter was going to make sure that his children were no exception.

Metis suddenly slumped in her chair, and her face fell into her pie. Porus leapt up and tilted her head back, before screaming to Minerva to dial 62442999 in the telephone. Minerva did so, and was put through to t. Mungo's Hospital. Garbling the situation, Minerva rushed back to Porus and said "They said five mins, okay?" before helping to lay her mother in a more comfortable position.

The medi - witches and wizards turned up in just under three minutes . They took one look at her, before each Healer grabbed a body part. The Healer at Metis' head tapped his emblem brooch and they disappeared with a _crack_. Porus sent Minerva off to bed, before their father walked in. Porus explained the situation, and Jupiter then rang Tethys, Minerva's grandma. Tethys went straight to the hospital along with Minerva's grandpa. Minerva heard Porus and her dad come up the stairs and pause by her bedroom. Both males went in.

They crossed the room within three strides. Porus cast silencing charms on all the walls, windows and doors. Jupiter placed his hands around her neck and mouth, whilst Porus stripped her of her tartan night robe. Screaming into her father's hand, Minerva kicked and bit at every piece of male flesh she could find. It was not use. Freezing the upper part of her body, Jupiter relaxed, before proceeding to rape her. After he had finished, Minerva felt sick. No, not sick - disgusted. Every ounce of her body felt filthy, contaminated. She was disgusted with herself, thinking that it was her fault. Porus watched with wide eyes. Minerva thought he might be able to stop it. She was wrong. Once her father had finished, Porus did exactly the same. When they had both stopped, Porus was sent out of the room. Bending close to Minerva's head, Jupiter whispered "Tell a soul, just one, and I will kill you. And your mother. Understand?"

When he had left the room, the freezing spell was removed. Minerva scrambled to her night robe and put it on, before she started trembling so badly. She curled up on herself, and wrapped the bed sheets around her, as if they were a barrier to what her father and brother had done to her. That evening was the first time she cried. She cried herself to sleep, clutching onto a soft toy as if her life depended on it. The toy was a little cat.

Minerva never slept for longer than ten minutes. Either someone walking along the corridor, or the faces of her father and brother loomed into her mind, filling her with a sense of dread and panic. She woke up the next morning with a cold sweat, at six am, she could sleep no more, so she crept out of bed and down the stairs to the kitchens, making her self some toast. Her hair hadn't been in a plait that night, as her mother was away, so her hair this morning was a real mess. Minerva couldn't care less what her hair looked like, she had more pressing things on her mind.

As she sat on the kitchen table eating her toast and jam, Minerva started at the sound of Peaky popping next to her. Quickly, whilst the house elf's back was turned, she hurried out of the kitchen, into the entrance hall and through a side door. This door took her to the gardens.

The gardens had every possible flower nestled in the beds between the orchard and the forest, and in front of the lake. Each flower had a separate bed, and was dedicated to each member of the McGonagall clan. Minerva's was the Snapdragon . Each bed had a little plaque in it, saying which family member it belonged to. Minerva knelt down beside her plot, and gently plucked the head off. Slowly, she pulled the head apart, until she had a pile of petals in her lap. Suddenly, her head turned towards the house. Someone was shouting her. They would never find her. Quietly, she stood, before walking to the orchard, which was the nearest wooded area to her.

Nervously, she pushed open the creaky gate and walked slowly into the clearing. Turning to shut the gate, she saw Peaky look straight at her. Minerva started to panic. What now? Peaky, however, just winked, and turned the other way. Breathing a sigh of relief. Minerva wandered on through the Apple Orchard.

The Orchard had many different parts - Main Fruits such as apple and pear; Citrus, such as oranges and lemon; Berries, such as cherry and raspberry and Others, such as apricot, banana and figs. Minerva had only been here once, when the House was on fire and her parents had ordered everyone outside. Porus led her in here then, and pointed out all the different fruits. Minerva's favourite was the lime. Everyone else thought it was a sour and horrible fruit, but since she had tried one when she was younger, he'd planted a tree for her, only growing limes. As she wandered through the Orchard, reminiscing fondly, Metis was suffering badly in St. Mungo's.

Up on the second floor, Mrs McGonagall was lying in a bed, with a hoard of Healers around her. Many thought it was Riantemososis, a rare condition affecting mostly children. The symptoms included fever, nausea, fainting, vomiting and a nasty red rash spreading across the stomach of a patient. If Metis was pregnant, the baby would have died.

Metis woke from a drug - induced coma to see a grey ceiling and the faces of seven people staring down at her. She didn't know any of them. Slowly she tried to speak, but couldn't, as she was on a ventilator. Metis had been so ill, that the Healers had had to take her to a muggle hospital in Glasgow to help her. Since the illness was nothing to do with magic, they were safe. Metis' eyelids felt heavy, and she quickly fell back into a deep slumber.

Minerva made her way to the edge of the Orchard, and looked out across the valley. McGonagall House was the heart of their 50 acre estate, but her father rented about 45 acres of that out. You could tell what was theirs - it was green, unspoilt except for the fields of animals and the river. Other places had shacks, houses, even housing estates built on them. Of course, should her father wish for all his land for his own use, the housing estates would have to be gone within the month. Minerva sighed, her eyes lingering over the mist that shrouded the topmost peaks of the mountains, Starmount and Suntop. She had never climbed them, but wanted to, dearly.

Starmount had it's own observatory, with a magnificent telescope in it. If you looked carefully enough, you could even see Sirius, the Dog-Star. Suntop had a private cottage on the top, built by Minerva's great-great-great-grandfather, when his wife and he would argue. It had been used as a sunbathing spot ever since. Minerva's eyes travelled over the green fields of the valley, slowly settling on the river that snaked it's way through the two hills. McGonagall House was built on a flat, where the two valleys met, high enough, but not as high as the twin peaks. The river came from an underground source behind the House, and was used for washing, bathing, cooking and cleaning. She sighed, before tearing her eyes away from the view, and turning and heading into the woods.

Before long, she was greeted by Raemon, the herd leader. Centaurs were unusually friendly to her, and always stopped by for a chat. Raemon was a brilliant white-bodied Lipizzaner with the torso of a man aged about 25 years. His hair was also unnaturally white, and he spoke with and English accent. For the McGonagall House wasn't in Scotland, it was just south of the border, so was English.

Raemon came up to her and said "We centaurs are a quiet group. We do not socialise with humans, unless they are with the Blood of the Pure. We, all 75 of us, offer our allegiance to you Minerva, for whenever you may need us. Bad times are upon us. The wizard who shall one day destroy us all has begun his reign of power. This must be stopped, and you are a part of it. All you need to do is call my name, and we will be at your side, armed within seconds. Do not misuse this trust. I hope this is clear?" Minerva stood there, not really taking it all in, but nodded anyway. "Good day to you, Pure Witch. May we meet again." With that, he bowed and turned, leaving Minerva in a puzzled state.

Curiously she walked on. She had never been in this deep before. Many creatures were rumoured to live here. Glancing up at the sky, she started, because the sky had gone. Instead there was a dense amount of deep green trees blocking daylight. As she looked ahead the path, she saw little light bobbing at her eye level. She turned around, not wanting to be in here, when a sharp cry pierced through the forest.

It wasn't a human cry, but that of a bird. Turning around, Minerva gasped. It was beautiful. It had the head and front legs of an eagle, but the stomach, tail and back legs of a horse. Minerva strode towards it, quietly, but quickly. Reaching out to pat it's beak, she felt how glossy the feathers were. The eagle part had yellow eyes, and a white body. Shifting slightly, she saw the back end, and how white that was. Everything about this thing was white. Except for the eyes and talons, which were silver.

The thing bent down onto it's scaly front knees, before looking at her, then it's back with a deliberate look. Minerva got the message, it was wanting her to ride it. "What's your name?" she asked tentatively. All she heard was a loud squawk, before a name was whispered on the breeze: _Castra_. Minerva asked another question. "Girl?" The thing blinked and dropped it's head.

Looking around, Minerva began to climb onto the creature's back. Slowly she settled herself just behind the wing joint, but was unsure of where to grab. Cautiously, she wrapped her arms around the thing's neck and prayed she wouldn't fall off. Castra slowly started to move off, gathering speed until she took off. Then, Minerva felt the wind in her hair and a smile spread across her face. Castra swooped around the treetops once, before landing safely just behind the House. Minerva clambered off and thanked Castra and set off towards the house. She ought to have visited her mother, and she mentally slapped herself for not thinking about it sooner.

She got into the house to find Peaky worriedly wringing her hands - they were covered in bandages. "Miss, I is to take you to Glasgow to see Mistress in hospital. Follow me," Minerva excused herself before changing into a deep plum robe and tied her hair up into a pony tail. Even then, it still fell just above her bum. "Right, when are we off?"

Jupiter walked almost lazily over to where his wife lay asleep. Porus followed behind, but could not help himself as he saw her. Running to her side, he gently took her left hand and started to stroke it, whispering words of comfort, loss and hope into his mother's ear. Jupiter, who had no time for such antics, sat down and stared around him. After a while, he noticed how thin Metis was, and how her bones jutted out from beneath the blankets. Absentmindedly he began tapping his foot, to a song by Celestina Warbeck. Minutes later, Minerva arrived. She started to run to her mother, but faltered slightly as she saw who was already there. Her father's eyes bore into hers, showing no remorse, sorrow or even guilt. All they showed was triumph. Looking desperately over to her brother, Minerva was shocked to see the amount of sorrow and guilt he had in his eyes. Gently, she took her mother's other hand in hers and began the same ritual as her brother.


End file.
